my story:
July 1998
I was a counselor at a church youth camp for a week in late July/early August. There was this girl, Jen, who had recently graduated and was a camper for the last time. At CYF camp, I helped coordinate the audio/visual for worship and the afternoon recreation (soccer, to be exact). During the worship sessions, I noticed young Jen sitting oh-so-close to the sound board. Occasionally, I would notice out of the corner of my eye a dead stare coming from the eyes of one fine girl. As a counselor, I quickly put the "this girls hot" thoughts out of my head.
Jen signed up to play soccer and somehow always manged to get on my team. She was very quiet, but she made her presence known. during one game, she threw the ball in to me and I headed it into the goal. We gave each other high-5's. That was our first physical contact. Her younger brother was in my cabin and she was sort of looking after him and tha gave her a reason to talk to me. So throughout the week, we would talk a little and she even managed to sneek into a few pictures with me. I found out that she was going to be leaving for college in a few weeks and was going to be attending my alma matter (Asbury College).
August 1998
Jen had written me a letter after camp, talking about her camp experience and her brother and her anxiety and excitement about leaving for college. I decided to write her back.
August 24 1998
Jen had already started college down in Kentucky when I was sent on a business trip to do some video editing at my alma matter. I arrived there on the 24th (a Monday). I ran into Jen and two other mutual friends almost immediately. We met up that night to play euchre.
August 27, 1998
After a a few days of meeting up each night, I was hard at work in the editing suite when Jen brought me over some homemade cookies. Later, I would find out that she had burnt the first batch. I had finished up editing around 6:30 and Jen and I decided to go for a walk. We walked up to the softball field, on a big hill and watched the sunset. We talked for a very long time. Jen and I both view this date, that day, as a monumental day in our 'relationship'.
Labor Day Weekend 1998
I made up some excuse to head back down to Kentucky and thus another 6 hour journey was necessary. I had two sisters living in the area and they just had to be visited... in reality, I was there to see Jen. I had asked her and her friends to go hiking. When I went to pick them up, it was only Jen. I think she told the others not to come. She wanted some alone time with me. I didn't complain, by the way. That night, I walked her back to her dorm... we could have kissed for the first time... but we didn't. That would have to wait.
Oct. 24th 1998
I had returned one more time to work on an editing project. Jen and I had been talking a lot on the phone but I was at a crossroads. I was 24 and she was 18. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt her. I seriously contemplated cutting things off... just because of the difficulty of having a long distance relationship. We went out that Saturday night and saw Dead Man on Campus followed by dinner at Ruby Tuesday, a strole through Joseph-Beth bookstore and then to Wal Mart. Everything about that October night was right. It felt right. True love was blossoming. We connected with each other. That night, I kissed her for the first time.
Thanksgiving 1998
I went to meet her family and to see her the day after Thanksgiving. I drove an hour and a half, walked up to the front door, rang the doorbell and when she opened it... I knew she was the one. She was wearing a red Old Navy v neck sweater , jeans and red socks. We were engaged a year later, on the day after Thanksgiving... married August 12, 2000.
No comments:
Post a Comment